This document highlights some of the changes between the Rules for Submissions used before 2012 and the current Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory.
The largest change is in the overall structure. There is a separate section at the beginning for General Principles. Personal name rules are now separate from non-personal name rules. A whole lot of things which are currently only in the various Precedents (or not indexed at all) are being added as Appendices, which we can update far more easily than the main rules themselves. Each of the big sections (General Principles, Personal Names, Non-Personal Names, and Armory) has its subsections separately numbered, so there is deeper nesting.
The General Principles, using the text in the Governing Documents which describe Laurel's duties, reorganizes the assortment of things currently classified as conflict and presumption. There are now two types of conflict for both names and armory, making names match what armory has done for years: identity conflict and relationship conflict. Also, because we protect non-SCA items differently from SCA items (cannot get permission, protect names in multiple forms, etc.), protected non-SCA items now are considered presumption, rather than conflict. The General Principles also set out clear definitions of a number of terms which the College of Arms uses in certain, specific meanings which don't always match the common usages.
For Personal Names, these are some of the things that have changed:
- The level of difference required for names to be clear of conflict has been somewhat lowered.
- The legal name allowance changes how modern middle names are handled; now middle names which are modernly used as given names, even if they originated as surnames, may be used as given names by this allowance.
- Naming pools were instituted (they're in an appendix) to make it clearer and simpler for non-experts to determine if name phrases from different cultures/times can be mixed.
- There is also an appendix which lists known documentable patterns of name formation for many languages.
- Presumption through claims of relationship is now under conflict instead of presumption. This makes names parallel to armory, where claims of relationship have always been under conflict; it also reorganizes conflict and presumption based on whether or not permission can be given.
- There are now two kinds of conflict: identity conflict and relationship conflict. Identity conflict is now purely on a "sound and appearance" basis.
- Submitters may register names that create a claim to rank that they do possess. Only permanent ranks may be used in names.
For Non-Personal Names, these are some of the things that have changed:
- The level of difference required for names to be clear of conflict has been somewhat lowered.
- The grandfather clause is expanded to allow branches to grandfather from the registered names of members of the branch. This merely puts into the rules the current precedent on grandfathering.
- There are now two kinds of conflict: identity conflict and association conflict. Identity conflict is now purely on a "sound and appearance" basis. Association conflict is, essentially, what previously was presumption through using a registered SCA name.
- Designators still do not count for conflict purposes, but SCA branch names do. Which designators can count for difference with a letter of permission to conflict is now clearly detailed.
- Submitters may register names that create a claim to rank that they do possess. Only permanent ranks may be used in names.
For Armory, these are some of the things that have changed:
- We now have, essentially, two sets of style rules armory can be submitted under. The first is the Core Style rules which are based on (but not identical to) Anglo-Norman heraldic style. The second is Individually Attested Patterns (previously "Documented Exceptions"), and the rules for them are now more codified.
- The Core Style rules regarding armorial simplicity have been expanded, to further encourage period style. There is an appendix which discusses known documentable arrangements of charge groups and combinations of multiple charge groups.
- There is an appendix which explains charge group theory in detail. Overall charges are now explicitly a type of charge group separate from secondary charges.
- Because the Core Style rules now explicitly discuss armorial style and simplicity, allowing us to slowly increase the standards for armorial style, the simplicity requirement for X.2 to apply has been removed. As a consequence of this, X.3 has been entirely removed, being unnecessary.
- The rules about how to consider armory for conflict purposes are much clearer, including explicitly defining how we consider "half" of a charge group.
- "Difference" is now "changes". X.2-equivalent difference is "substantial change"; CD-equivalent difference is "distinct change".
- The X.2-equivalent difference section has been expanded.
Substantial changes now include:
- adding or removing primary charges
- substantially changing the type of the primary charge(s)
- substantially changing the number of primary charges (1,2,3,many)
- substantially changing the arrangement of primary charges
- substantially changing the posture/orientation of the primary charge(s)
- Field-primary armory gets its own section for clearing conflict by substantially changing the field.
- A distinct change (DC) can be obtained by making a qualifying change to any charge, including tertiary and overall charges.